Well I finally had a major energy crash in Christchurch after 6 weeks on the go. Can't believe I've been away so long already! Spent my last time in New Zealand doing a wee tour of Christchurch on the tram and randomly there appeared to be a pipe band competition on in the main square yesterday. Half a dozen bands all playing different tunes at the same time is not pretty! Flew out to Melbourne yesterday. The very rubbish travel agent had decided that rather than putting me on the direct flight on qantas leaving 10 minutes earlier she would make me go via Sydeny. So didn't arrive in til 8pm and having no cards couldn't book any accomoodation. Have to say the customs in Sydney were the easiest I've been through yet - I just handed over my card and when I said I had no food on me was ushered through past no xray, no sniffer dogs. Was picked up at the airport by my uncle and aunt and am delighted to be staying in a proper house with my own room and everything. It's amazing the small things you miss when you're away. Planning on having a chill out for a few days and then will get down to the work/flat/tax/medicard stuff when I'm feeling a bit more normal! Ax

Been in Melbourne for a week now and although I've taken time out to relax a bit I've managed to sort out the boring stuff like tax file numbers and bank accounts and I'm on the case for finding a job and somewhere to stay although not as easy as I thought it might be. Still waiting for my new bank cards so lucky that I've got relatives out here I can stay with but they should hopefully arrive this week.

Monday was a lovely sunny day and I jokingly said that I bring the rain everywhere I go (which is true) knowing fine well it hadn't rained in Melbourne in three months and there were severe fire warnings, schools were shut etc. So the next morning I wake up and it's drizzle. By afternoon it's rain. By the next day it's a fullscale downpour and people are being asked to leave work early as the weather is so bad!!! And all I wanted was a bit of sun but here I am sat in jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt while I type this! Anyway I think I should get a job being paid to stay in areas of drought to see if I can sort them out.

Because the weather has been mild (to be fair it's still about 14 degrees so it's hardly freezing) and my Aunt has been off work we've been able to get out and about so I've been down to Mornington where we stopped at a great little cafe for lunch and wandered the markets, Frankston where I finally got round to getting an Oz sim card - so much cheaper even for calling home than my UK one - and also up to the market at Prahran. I was in my element. It's a huge indoor market selling every kind of food you could possibly imagine. The fruit and veg here are so fresh, so colourful and so HUGE!!! Spring onions seem to be at least a foot and a half long and the peppers are ginormous. It's ridiculously cheap compared to home and I've seen lots of weird and wonderful things I never knew existed. Great coffee stand as well where they have loads of flasks with samples and you can just taste your way along getting a coffee fix for free. The meat counters are also incredible but it was the fish counter and deli counter where I got really carried away. Every kind of fish prepared in every kind of way including this gorgeous seafood marinara we got to have with spaghetti for dinner with mussles, clams, squid, white fish, prawns, absolutely delicious. The deli counters are numerous and I've decided I'm just going to eat solely from these when I move into the city there is just so much to choose from. Also had my first boost juice and I can confirm they are amazing. Think I should have got a job in the food industry. Maybe as a food critic or a taster...

Went to the cinema on Friday night to see Grand Tourino which is a really good film, I thought it was just going to be about a car but it was really really good. About half way through there was this jiggling feeling like someone was bouncing their legs up and down. Then it felt like someone heavy was walking behind us. Then it felt like there was a herd of elephants running along the ground and we realised we were having an earthquake. Hasn't been one for nine years but it seems I have the ability to bring these with me as well. This one was bigger than California at 4.6

Yesterday was spent in Melbourne city with my cousin and I think I'm going to enjoy staying there it's really lovely. Loads of shops including some wee quirky ones, loads of cafes, bars, restaurants and a huge market selling food, clothing and livestock! Had a good wander round town and the market and went on the city circle tram to get an idea of where everything is. Public transport here is really good as well - to get any train, bus or tram in zones 1 and 2 yesterday cost me a whole 5 quid. Hardly breaking the bank. And everything actually seems to run on time. Still haven't quite figured out the scary hook turns cars have to do in town though. Off to the cinema again today and then there's a load of people coming round for a bbq tonight. Tomorrow is labour day so think everything will be closed but I can concentrate on the job/flat situation. Ax

Another week has flown by and I'm still hunting for a job with not much success. Have resorted to even considering telesales work - noooo!!! Anyway had a fairly quiet start to the week and on Thursday my Aunt took me on a drive down the peninsula. We went through Hastings and saw the pelicans then onto a lovely vineyard for lunch where we shared salmon and avocado bruscetta and the most beautiful and delicious platter of antipasti. Was very good and passed on the cakes before we went up Arthurs Seat (no it doesn't look anything like the one at home) and got great views up the length of the peninsula all the way to Melbourne in the distance. Stopped at a wee beach and then took the coastal road back, stopping in Mornington for an ice-cream. Ice cream has become a bit of a feature of my day. I've been being very good and walking into Somerville and back most days (about 4 kms) however the benefit of this exercise is probably negated by my discovery of caramel magnums which seem to assist me in the walk back home! Anyway, went to the cinema and saw confessions of a shopaholic that night which was easily as good as the book. Definitely recommended.

Friday after finally uploading all my photos onto my blog (failed miserably with the dvds but photos including sky dive are all there) we went to see my Aunt's friend who imports jewellery and precious stones from Sri Lanka and India and I was like a child in a sweet shop trying on all the jewellery which is just beautiful. One ring in particular looked like costume jewellery it was so huge but was in fact a black sapphire surrounded by black diamonds. You could do someone seerious injury if you whacked them wearing it. Fortunately my cards still haven't arrived so I was unable to go mad buying things I really didn't need.

Yesterday I went to view a really nice place where there is a room available. Needless to say afetr all my careful planning on how to get there nothing went to plan. First of all got to the station to be told there were no trains I had to get a bus to Frankston. Not a huge issue except it took twice as long therefore missed my subsequent connections. About ten minutes before we arrived at the station there were ominous grey clouds in th sky. By five minuted before it was chuicking down in a violent really bad Edinburgh rainstorm kind of way. (What drought?!) In the five seconds it took me to run from the bus to the station underpass I looked like I'd been fully clothed in a shower. My grey combats were black. My pink t-shirt was dark purple. I had no jacket. I had no umbrella. Then when I got to the queue to buy my ticket it was huge as there was a concert for the bushfires on so the train was packed and people were jamming open the doors so the driver refused to go. When we finally got to my station it was just about impossible to get out so I had to go for elbow barging and evebntually people got off to let me off. It was still tipping down at this point and we had some thunder and lightning too so although I had dried out I knew I was going to get soaked again. Finally got my train to the correct station and managed to find a shop to buy a brolly. Why are things never straightforward for me? Anyway spent the rest of the afternoon in Melbourne where they had a giant barbecue on the go with loads of different stands and the sun finally started to come out. It's the Melbourne food and wine festival just now so there are quite a few events on. Back to the job hunting tomorrow and hopefully I'll get my bank cards! Ax

Well the bank cards actually arrived at last so I'm solvent! Haven't got a lot to say for myself for the last two weeks I've been job hunting and job hunting and job hunting but there is just nothing here. Even calling into agencies the day they advertise they're saying they have too many applications and are pulling the ad. Anyway on the plus side I've had an interview with one agency and did all my word, excel and data entry testing (and naturally got fabulous results) so it's just a case of waiting until something hopefully comes up. Otherwise may need to rearrange plans.

Anyway have done a few things since I last blogged. Went up the Eureka tower in Melbourne which is the highest residential building in the world and the viewing tower is actually higher than the sky tower in Auckland. It was a beautiful day, about 26 degrees (and it's Autumn here) and I got incredible views all the way across the city and surrounding areas. But obviously couldn't just look at the views so I did the Edge experience. You get in a glass box with all the windows misted over and alongside the noises of cranking wheels, dodgy machinery etc you're pushed three metres clear of the building and then they un-mist all the glasss so you can see the whole city and right down to the ground. Then you get the obligatory photo. Now I have to say if I'd even attempoted that a few months ago I would have been hyperventilating but I was totally fine. Vertigo sufferer no longer.

After that met up with my relatives and went to the aquarium which is really good in Melbourne and I have been to a few on my travels. Saw lots of penguins and travelled through the different climate zones with all different fish until we came tp the huge underwater section that has the biggest stingrays I've ever seen and some pretty big sharks (proper sharks not just catfish) lurking about. Have since learned you can go diving with them - hmm....

Anyway Sunday I went to the Grand Prix and had a great time. It was another roasting day and it's an incredible setting around the water with views of the Melbourne towers in the background. Unlike home their transport is super organised here so there was no problem getting there. Managed to get a seat exactly where I wanted, on a wee hill, next to the track and in front of the big screen. I couldn't believe the noise! It sounds mad on tv but when you're actually there I'm not surprised there were so many people wearing ear defenders. Sat there for the first half of the race but I was burning up a bit in the sun (even with cream on and it was about 6pm) so I found another spot in the shade on the other side of the river. At least here I could actually read the screen and hear the commentary as over the other side I didn't have a clue what was going on! Anyway back to the job search again today, it's getting so depressing even Safeway don't want me! May have a change of plan and see if I can pick up some fruit picking work somewhere as they apparently provide your accommodation. Until later, Ax

So it's ages since I actually got round to updating this and life has been eventful!!! Have had two visits to hospital - the first from rolling out of bed, hitting my head off a cabinet and ending up with an egg sized bruise and two black eyes and the second once I moved into Melbourne and attempted to stop a domestic ending up in me with another black eye and covered in bruises. However since then I've managed to find a job and a man and am enjoying life in Melbourne, we're planning on moving over to the west coast soon to get some agricultural work and extend my visa by another year so all being well I wont be returning before 2011. If I can get my residency it may be later. Will update this again when I actually have some news!!! Love Amy xxx